Jaycee Dugard Kidnapper Says Last 18 Years Is A Wonderful warm-hearted story

By IBT Staff Reporter On 07/08/11 AT 12:15 PM

An officer prepares to escort Phillip Garrido (R) out of the courtroom after receiving his sentence in Placerville, California June 2, 2011. The Phillip and Nancy Garrido kidnapped and held Jaycee Dugard captive for 18 years. Phillip received a 431 years to life sentence, while Nancy received 36 years to life. Photo: Reuters

Nancy Garrido (bottom) appears for her sentencing as her husband, Phillip Garrido, sits behind her in Placerville, California June 2, 2011. The Garridos kidnapped and held jaycee Dugard captive for 18 years. Phillip received a 431 years to life sentence, while Nancy received 36 years to life. Photo: Reuters

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Garrido was sentenced to 431 years in jail and his wife, Nancy was sentenced for 36 to life as reported by the Sunday Times of London. A local radio station spoke to Garrido from his jail cell and reported that hopes people will acknowledge what a wonderful warm-hearted story the last 18 years have been.

On June 10, 1991, eleven year old Jaycee Dugard was on her way to school that morning. Her step-father said goodbye at the bus stop and went on his way leaving Jaycee alone.

All of a sudden, his hand shoots out of the car window and I feel this shock, I stumble back into the bushes trying to back away, Jaycee recounted in September.

But my body feels all tingly and suddenly I am in the car, in the back, on the floorboards, under a blanket and there is someone sitting on me. The people in the car were Phillip Garrido and his wife Nancy. They shot her with a stun gun and took her to their home. In her testimony to investigators, Dugard continued saying: As we drive for what seems like forever, and I am hot and my bladder has emptied, I hear this man say, 'I can't believe we got away with it,' and he started laughing.

Phillip was later found to be a drug addict and registered sex offender. I didn't know why he was doing this. I just wanted to go home, Dugard said.

Dugard explained that she told Garrido that her family did not have money. It turns out that money was not his interest at all.

Through her captivity that would last 18 years, Dugard was raped and bore two children. She lived in the Garrido's Antioch, California home in the backyard. Dugard was given the name Snoopy. She was kept in a tent and was frequently abused sexually by Garrido while he was on drug binges. After the birth of Dugard's second child, she and her babies were allowed to move inside the house to remain hidden for 15 years.

Now, Dugard admits that she was too scared to run or fight against Phillip: I realized I had the girls and no money, and where would I go? Phillip was visited 60 times in the past 10 years by parole agents and Dugard was never discovered.

Thankfully, Phillip Garrido and his wife were discovered in 2009 at UC Berkeley. Garrido was said to have been exhibiting strange behavior as he gave out religious fliers to people who walked by. Then eventually, a police officer noticed him and called Garrido's parole officer.

Garrido was sentenced to 431 years in jail and his wife, Nancy was sentenced for 36 to life as reported by the Sunday Times of London. A local radio station spoke to Garrido from his jail cell and reported that hopes people will acknowledge what a wonderful warm-hearted story the last 18 years have been.

Dugard was given $20 million dollar by the state of California for their lack of supervision on Garrido. She has since changed her name and appearance to begin her new life. I was an object for someone to use and abuse. I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to (pretend to be) a sister (to her daughters). I don't think of myself as a victim. I am a survivor,

You can catch an exclusive interview with Jaycee Dugard this Sunday on Good Morning America. Also, be sure to check out her memoir, A Stolen Life, on Tuesday, July 12.